NJ Water/Wastewater Operator key terms

Water drawn from a source such as a river, reservoir, lake, or well before any treatment. Its quality shifts with weather, season, and upstream activity, so operators adjust treatment to match changing conditions.

A groundwater source hydraulically connected to surface water and therefore exposed to the same pathogens. Systems using it must provide filtration and disinfection comparable to surface water treatment requirements.

The mapped land area around a public drinking water well through which contaminants could travel to reach the well. Land use inside it is managed to keep pollution away from the supply.

A state program that maps the areas feeding each public water system and lists potential contaminant sources inside them. The resulting susceptibility rating helps systems target monitoring and protection work.

The highest concentration of a contaminant allowed in water delivered to the public, set by USEPA and adopted by the state. Compliance is judged using samples taken at required locations and frequencies.

A required treatment practice rather than a numeric limit, applied when a contaminant cannot be reliably measured or removed to a safe level. Filtration of surface water and corrosion control are examples.

Chemicals such as total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids that form when disinfectants react with natural organic matter in the water. They are regulated because long-term exposure may raise cancer risk.

Any actual or potential link between drinking water piping and a source of nonpotable water or contamination. Finding and controlling these links is the purpose of a backflow prevention program.

Regulation requiring systems to sample tap water at high-risk homes and, when action levels are exceeded, to install corrosion control, replace lead service lines, and educate the public.

Rapid mixing of a chemical such as alum into raw water to neutralize the electrical charges on fine particles, letting them stick together so they can be removed in later steps.

Gentle, slow stirring that encourages small neutralized particles to collide and grow into larger, heavier clumps called floc, which settle or filter out more easily.

A quiet basin where water moves slowly enough that heavier floc and solids sink to the bottom as sludge, producing clearer water for the filters.

Passing settled water through layers of sand, anthracite, or other media to trap leftover particles and remove pathogens. Filters are backwashed periodically to clear the accumulated solids.

A calculated measure of disinfection strength, found by multiplying the disinfectant residual in mg/L by the contact time in minutes. The result is compared with required values for inactivating pathogens.

The amount of uncombined chlorine still available in treated water to kill or inactivate organisms. It is tracked across the system to confirm protection continues after water leaves the plant.

Disinfection using chlorine combined with ammonia. It leaves a longer-lasting residual than free chlorine and lowers some byproduct levels, but it is harder to remove and requires careful ammonia control.

A measure of how cloudy water is because of suspended particles, reported in nephelometric turbidity units. It serves as both a treatment performance indicator and a health-based limit.

A bench procedure that stirs several beakers of raw water at different chemical doses to find the best coagulant amount and mixing conditions before applying them at full scale.

A wastewater process in which a mixed community of microorganisms consumes organic matter in an aerated tank; the solids are then settled and returned to keep the population working.

Sludge age: the average number of days microorganisms are kept in an activated sludge system before being wasted, calculated as solids inventory divided by daily solids leaving.

The volume in milliliters occupied by one gram of settled activated sludge after 30 minutes of settling. It shows how well the sludge settles and compacts in the secondary clarifier.

A basin following aeration where activated sludge solids settle out and separate from the treated water, with the settled sludge returned to the aeration tank or wasted.

A main cleaning method that isolates a pipe section and drives water through it in one direction at high velocity, scouring sediment and biofilm toward a discharge point.

Infiltration is groundwater seeping into sewers through defects; inflow is stormwater entering through direct connections like sump pumps or manhole covers. Both add clear water that can overload the system.

A release of untreated wastewater from the collection system before it reaches the treatment plant, often caused by blockages, roots, or wet-weather capacity limits. It must be reported and cleaned up.

Periodically opening and closing distribution valves through their full range to keep them from seizing and to confirm they will work during repairs or a main break.

The absolute pressure available at a pump's suction to keep liquid from vaporizing. Too little of it causes cavitation, reduced flow, and damage to the impeller.

Formation and collapse of vapor bubbles in a pump when local pressure drops below the liquid's vapor pressure, producing noise, vibration, and gradual erosion of the impeller.

A manufacturer graph showing how a pump's head, efficiency, and power draw change with flow rate. Operators use it to judge whether a pump runs near its best efficiency point.

A space large enough to enter, with limited entry or exit, that is not designed for continuous occupancy. Entry requires air testing, ventilation, a permit, and an attendant stationed outside.

A procedure for isolating and de-energizing equipment, then attaching locks and tags, so it cannot start while someone services it. Only the person who applied a lock removes it.

A written record tracking who collected, handled, and transported each sample, with dates and times. It shows the sample was not altered before analysis and is needed as compliance evidence.

The maximum time allowed between collecting a sample and analyzing it, set by the method or regulation. Exceeding it can invalidate results, so samples are chilled and shipped promptly.

A single sample taken at one place and moment rather than mixed over time. It is used for many compliance tests and for readings like chlorine and pH that change quickly.

A rule requiring systems to monitor for total coliform and E. coli and to investigate and fix sanitary defects when indicators appear, rather than only meeting a numeric limit.

A person certified by the state at a specific grade to run a water or wastewater system. A system must employ an operator at the required grade, and licensing requires experience and a passing exam.

A periodic on-site review by the state of a system's source, facilities, operation, monitoring, and records to find health risks and confirm compliance before problems reach the public.

An annual report that community water systems must deliver to customers, listing the water source, detected contaminants and their levels, and any violations or related health effects.